


Alone Time

by TFWBT



Series: To Establish Ties [5]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Episode: s13e05 Advanced Thanatology, M/M, Masturbation, Season/Series 13, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2017-12-31
Packaged: 2019-02-25 20:10:04
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13220301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TFWBT/pseuds/TFWBT
Summary: What Jack does while Sam and Dean solve the case in Advanced Thanatology.





	Alone Time

On the first day, he’s happy. 

He blasts his music as loud as the tiny laptop speakers will permit. He cooks with Dean’s brand-new toaster. He studies the pornographic magazines Dean hides in his set of towels in the showers. The women invite his gaze with smiles, their naked bodies splayed across the pages. Jack strokes himself to the images, but he can’t focus on the women. He thinks of Sam’s shoulders, Sam’s arms, Sam’s hands, Sam’s face, Sam’s cock. He comes with his cock in his hand, Sam in his head, and the porn ignored. He tucks the magazines away again, wishing he knew what sort of porn Sam liked.

He explores the garage since he normally avoids it out of the feeling Dean doesn’t like him near the Impala without good reason. He looks up YouTube videos on how to drive a motorcycle and takes one for a short spin, driving it with his heart in his throat and a thrill in his chest. He’s certain that he’s going to crash and Dean’s going to kill him. Somehow, he doesn’t crash. He returns the motorcycle to its bay and wipes away the trace of moving tires from the floor. 

On the second day, he misses Sam. Dean too, especially his cooking, but he doesn’t ache for Dean the way he aches for Sam. He doesn’t wonder what Dean’s doing, what he’s seeing, what he’s thinking, what he’s feeling. Dean had closed his bedroom door, but if he had left it open, Jack wouldn’t have wandered into his room and sprawled out on his bed. He wouldn't have laid there, breathing in the smell of him and missing the timber of his voice. As Jack lays on Sam’s bed, he yet again pulls out the cell phone Sam had pressed into his hands before leaving.  _ “Call or text if you need anything at all.”  _ On the screen, the only message remains marked as unread, even though Jack’s read it over a dozen times. It’s simple:  _ This is Sam’s phone _ . 

Jack opens the message and stares at the empty space of text, thinking of stupid questions.  _ What movie should I watch next? How do I use the percolator? Where can I find more bedsheets?  _ He doesn’t actually  _ need _ anything. Sam and Dean left the bunker well-stocked, and Google and YouTube teach Jack everything he needs to know. He could live here alone for weeks, but he doesn’t want to. He misses Sam, the sound of his voice, the touch of his skin. He wants to feel that connection he has when Sam’s nearby and he can soak in his emotions. 

As he stares at the blank space in the open text message, he shakes his head. What is he doing? He’s acting like a child, that’s what he’s doing. Sam doesn’t want Jack to admire him. He doesn't want a kid, he wants Jack to  _ prove  _ himself. If Jack has any hope of a relationship with Sam, he needs to demonstrate that he can be Sam's equal. What does Sam want from Jack? He wants Jack to learn to use his powers. 

Filled with determination, Jack shoves his phone back into his pocket. He rolls off the bed, smooths out the sheets, and heads to the library. He snatches up a pencil on his way to the table. He will prove himself to Sam and he’ll start with this one tiny thing: moving a pencil. 

He sits and holds out his hand, wishing for the pencil to move. Nothing. Frowning, he tries harder. Still nothing. He thinks about what Sam had said, remembering the times he used his power before and what it had felt like. Closing his eyes, he searches inside himself.

There--a current similar to the electric one that surged through him when he broke the toaster. He can feel it in him and around him, stretching out in every direction in curving lines. The paths flow through everything, their reach endless.

Obi-Wan’s voice pops up in his head, “Let go your conscious self and act on instinct… Stretch out with your feelings.”

Jack lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding, feeling the current pulsing hard within him and weak around him. Holding himself as still as possible, he carefully releases some of the energy, letting it flow out of him along a path that already exists. He expects to feel less of the charge within him, but the opposite occurs and the energy within him surges bright, stronger than ever.

Opening his eyes, he sees the pencil and reaches out for it with his power, feeling the energy enveloping and lifting it. In his excitement, he forgets to maintain the connection and the pencil drops and rolls off the table. He fetches it, bending under the table and bumping his head. “Fuck,” he says to the empty room.

As he sits up, rubbing his head, he realizes he could've used his powers to lift it up again. 

Replacing the pencil on the table, Jack tries again. This time it's easier. The pencil dances up into the air as he moves it about, sending it all the way to the end of the table and back again. Jumping from his chair, he darts around the bunker, testing out his power on a variety of objects. The chairs seem light enough, but he has trouble getting the energy to enclose them; it keeps drifting off to the sides. It takes him several hours to figure how to fully envelope the wood, much less lift one up and scrape it across the floor, barely an inch above the surface, but floating nonetheless. 

Although his powers are as vibrant as ever, his muscles tremble and he pants, exhausted and worn. With his body so weak, he decides to take a break.

As he makes himself a sandwich, he tries to think of what else Sam would want him to do: solve cases. Jack heads to his computer as he considers the skills he'll need to master before he'll be an asset on a hunt. Hacking seems to be a useful tool to understand, and Sam's already taught him the basics, so he researches everything he can find. He studies both the mechanical aspects as well as social engineering, which Sam and Dean excel at.

On the third day, everything is easier. At least, it is if he ignores how much more he misses Sam. For the whole morning, he refuses to even glance at his phone, leaving it tucked in his pocket, and focuses on improving himself for Sam. 

Not only can he move the pencil on the first try, but the chairs as well. He's tempted to send a photo of his progress to Sam and takes several of them, but he deletes them all from the messages he crafts instead of pressing send. It might be better to show Sam in person so that he can feel Sam’s pride as it rolls off of him. The idea fills him with a warm glow and pushes him to test his limits. He explores with his powers until he can’t move at all, heart racing, breath catching, and his limbs trembling like a newborn calf.

Once he can move again, he returns to his laptop and dives back into his studies. The discipline he had in the beginning of the day is completely eroded by then, and he can’t help but check his phone at fifteen minute intervals, even though he has the ringer at full volume. What if Sam’s hurt and didn’t get out a text? What if they need help but Sam doesn’t realize that Jack’s learned to control his powers and is afraid to ask for assistance? His head spins and he reminds himself that Sam is very capable.

He's learning about the different types of law enforcement databases when the phone in his pocket chimes and he eagerly fishes it out. It's Sam and his breath catches in his throat when he reads the message:  _ On our way home _ . 

Jack googles the distance again, although he remembers the exact numbers from the first day. About ten hours and then Sam and Dean will be home again. Dean drives fast, but they'll need two fuel stops as the Impala typically gets about 300 miles per fill-up. Jack researches the food options along the way. Will Sam insist on a restaurant or will he allow Dean to choose only gas station sustenance? Sam had been emoting a lot of concern for Dean, so he'll probably let Dean pick unless he finds one of Dean's favorite stops along the way.

Idly scanning through menus of restaurants Sam and Dean will pass by, Jack finds a restaurant with a lot of Dean's favorite foods. It's close to the road they'll be taking and far enough out that it would make a great dinner stop. He reads the reviews: slow service. Sighing, he adjusts his estimate up a half an hour. They might want a late night snack when they arrive, especially Sam if he lets Dean pick the stops. 

Picking up his phone again, Jack sets an alarm for nine hours ahead. He needs to find a case by then. He opens his laptop and gets to work.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to my awesome beta, Mistress Pandora, for beating this into shape!
> 
> Sorry about the delay in updating this series. When I saw Advanced Thanatology, I really, really, really wanted to write comfort sex between Sam and Jack, but I just couldn't make it work for this series. I spent some time trying to make it work before I realized I was pushing both characters where they weren't ready to go. I wrote the sex scene for a different series - [Advanced Thanatology Sam Comfort](http://archiveofourown.org/works/13194987). Once I finished that, I was ready to return to this series and let Sam and Jack guide me! I'm also finding it easier to write if I delay a bit and watch the next couple of episodes because I was having trouble with pacing. I'm working on the 13.06 episode now, but plan to stay at least 3 behind the show to better fit this into canon. 
> 
> Thanks for the patience. Please let me know what you think!


End file.
